Prominent Republicans Cross Party Lines to Endorse Democrat Kelly Kirschner for Congress: “He Cares About 850,000 Residents of District 16, Not Just One Resident of the White House.”

In a dramatic break with their own party, a coalition of Republican officeholders and community leaders — led by former Congressman Dan Miller and Commissioner George Kruse — publicly endorsed Democrat Kelly Kirschner for Congress on Tuesday in one of the most closely watched House races in the country, where Kirschner’s opponent, Sydney Gruters, is married to Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters and carries Trump’s personal endorsement.

Five-term GOP Congressman Dan Miller and Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse lead “Republicans for Kirschner” coalition, launched in Bradenton, in a race where the Republican nominee is married to the RNC Chairman and endorsed by President Trump

The “Republicans for Kirschner” coalition launched before an audience of supporters, local leaders and journalists at Pier 22 on the Bradenton waterfront. During the event, speakers stepped to the lectern and explained, in their own words, what led each of them to cross party lines in Florida’s 16th Congressional District.

Community leaders who spoke at the event included:

• Dan Miller, five-term Republican congressman
• George Kruse, Manatee County commissioner
• Merrie Lynn Parker, retired Manatee School District administrator
• Jim Brady, former finance director for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp
• Ray Bellamy, the first African American to sign a football scholarship with a major university in the Southeastern U.S.
• Kelly Kirschner, Democratic candidate for Congress, Florida’s 16th Congressional District

Also in attendance were Longboat Key Town Commissioner B.J. Bishop, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth and former Manatee County Commissioner Betsy Benac. Rusty Chinnis, a local photojournalist and conservationist, served as master of ceremonies.

Miller, a longtime fixture of the community who graduated from Manatee High School before his career in Congress, criticized congressional spending and priorities at a time when many Americans are struggling to make ends meet.

“This Congress has allowed money to be spent like a drunk sailor,” said Miller. “They have slush funds built up in the Defense Department — $150 billion in that Big Beautiful Bill.”

“What I like about Kelly is, he’s smart. He listens,” Miller said.

“Kelly has consistently for decades shown himself to be a principled person who looks out for the best interest of everybody else,” said Kruse, who has served on the Manatee County Commission since 2020. “When he went to Georgetown, he could have wrote his ticket to any place he wanted. Where’d he go? He went to the Peace Corps, because he knew that helping other people was how he could contribute to the world, how he could contribute to society. He does his own thing, because his own thing is right.”

“He cares about the issues Manatee County residents are facing … And honestly, that’s how I can sum up this entire race: Kelly’s campaign has shown that he cares about 850,000 residents of District 16, not just one resident of the White House,” said Kruse.

“His maturity, his poise, his integrity, his character, intelligence and leadership were abundantly evident,” said Merrie Lynn Parker, who spent her career in Manatee County schools as a teacher and administrator. “And so I thought to myself, that man is just what we’re looking for in a statesman — a servant leader for people he will represent.”

“If I had 10 seconds to state why I think Kelly should win? He listens. He seeks more knowledge. He’s smart. He understands complexities. He’s a proven leader. He’s the real deal,” said Parker.

Jim Brady, active in Republican politics for more than four decades, argued that most voters are not as far apart as our political parties might make them seem. He warned of the effects that policies such as tariffs, dismantling trade agreements with Canada and Mexico, breaking from America’s allies in NATO, and entering unnecessary wars will have on voters in the November election.

“If you’re a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives and you won two years ago by six, eight, 10, I would even say 12 — you should be nervous,” said Brady. “The policies have not worked. Kelly will bring common sense to the U.S. House of Representatives, and he certainly can win.”

Kirschner, a third-generation Floridian who grew up in Sarasota and Manatee counties and went on to serve as mayor of Sarasota, closed the program by turning from the endorsements to what he said the race is actually about: “This is really not about partisan politics. It’s not about cheap name-calling. It’s about, ‘What is responsiveness? What is accountability, and who is going to do that work for the community?’ And so, that is the intention. That is why we’re here today. At its core, we are all Americans first.”

“Ultimately, what all of us have tried to do is build a greater community, a more responsive community — that is one where all can prosper,” said Kirschner. “This is really not about partisan politics. It’s not about cheap name-calling. It’s about, ‘What is responsiveness? What is accountability, and who is going to do that work for the community?’ And so, that is the intention. That is why we’re here today. At its core, we are all Americans first.”

Video of Tuesday’s event, additional B-roll and event photographs are availabe to media outlets and journalists to download.

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About “Republicans for Kirschner”

“Republicans for Kirschner” is a coalition of Republican elected officials, former officeholders and community leaders in Florida’s 16th Congressional District who are publicly supporting Democrat Kelly Kirschner for Congress.

About Kelly Kirschner

Kelly Kirschner is a third-generation Floridian, a former Sarasota mayor and city commissioner, a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in Guatemala, the former vice president and dean of executive and continuing education at Eckerd College, and a co-founder of the area nonprofit UnidosNow. He is running for Florida’s 16th Congressional District on a platform of lowering costs and putting constituents ahead of special interests.

The post Prominent Republicans Cross Party Lines to Endorse Democrat Kelly Kirschner for Congress: “He Cares About 850,000 Residents of District 16, Not Just One Resident of the White House.” first appeared on Kelly Kirschner for U.S. Congress - FL 16.